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Michael Brandman

"The perfect substitute for that good-time trip to California you've decided not to take after all."

—Kirkus Reviews

A new breed of brazen criminal forces Buddy Steel into unfamiliar territory. Will he outsmart the ingenious thieves before they get the best of him?

Buddy Steel, acting Sheriff of Freedom, California, is enjoying some well-deserved R&R at a friend's mountain hideaway when he's called home to investigate a home invasion—at his father's address. The break-in is just one in a series, perpetrated by ingeniously inventive burglars. To complicate matters, Buddy must also investigate a spate of cyber crimes targeting local businesses and individuals—an area well outside of his experience and comfort zone.

Already on the trail of the cybercriminals is LAPD Gang Enforcement's foremost computer geek, Detective Quinn Anthony. Buddy teams up with the unconventional—and much younger—brainiac to trace the convoluted trail of the hackers. From the adjunct of a vicious LA-based cartel to outside of U.S. borders, Buddy and Quinn race to take down the hackers and recover the spoils. The closer they get, the more danger they face; and the more danger they face, the closer they become...

Fans of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch have a new detective series to fall in love with from Michael Brandman—Hollywood screenwriter and contributing New York Times bestselling author in the Robert B. Parker Jessie Stone series.

Also by Michael Brandman:

The Buddy Steel Thrillers:

Missing Persons, book 1

One on One, book 2

Wild Card, book 3

The Jesse Stone Novels:

Robert B. Parker's Fool Me Twice

Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues

Robert B. Parker's Damned if You Do

Poisoned Pen Press

Buddy Steel Thrillers

Risk Factor

"A terrific read. Buddy Steel is my kind of Sheriff."—Tom Selleck

MISSING PERSONS is the first book in the new Buddy Steel mystery series by New York Times bestselling author, Michael Brandman. Even in a town called Freedom, justice has its price…

LAPD homicide detective Buddy Steel finds himself detoured from his own life when his ailing father, Sheriff Burton Steel, calls him home to Freedom to take over as deputy. Though relations between father and son have always been strained, and Buddy reluctantly agrees to the arrangement.

When he begins investigating the possible disappearance of a famous local televangelist's wife, he is met with outright antagonism. While the highly-secured husband insists that his wife is simply visiting a relative, the housekeeper who reported her missing fears she may have been murdered. And no one, from family members to ministry security and staff to the prosecutor's office seems inclined to help Buddy in his investigation. In fact, many go out of their way to stop him.

But the more he pokes and prods, the more he realizes that the Bible-thumping family and their television empire may be an elaborate cover for a less-than-holy enterprise. This is far more than a typical missing person case. But how far up does the corruption reach—and will Buddy pay the ultimate price for refusing to look the other way?

MISSING PERSONS is an emotionally propulsive thriller perfect for fans of Robert B. Parker, Sue Grafton, and Michael Connelly. Because there are dark secrets buried in this small town, and a missing person threatens to unearth them all—with deadly consequences.

Missing Persons

Buddy Steel's maverick behavior as a police officer has won his commander's respect and a promotion to LAPD homicide detective. Almost immediately, he is asked to join a task force working to bust a major meth shipment to LA from Mexico. One of the two undercover agents on the case has gotten himself killed by the Mexican cartel but not before spilling that a female agent is deeply enmeshed within their organization. The agent in question—Kara Machado—barely learns that her true identity may soon be exposed to the cartel when she is whisked abruptly to their family compound in Mexico, cut off from any communication with the outside world.

But Buddy has personal history with Kara, and he's determined to bring her home safely. Enlisting the aid of three friends from his military days and working through back channels, Buddy launches an off-the-books foreign invasion to find not only Kara but also the storage location of the drugs bound for LA. With the odds and time against them, Buddy and his team know it will take a miracle to accomplish either objective—and another to get them all out alive.

Death Threat

"Another great read. Buddy Steel is my kind of Sheriff." —Tom Selleck

When legendary Sheriff Burton Steel summoned his son Buddy home from LAPD Homicide, a reluctant Buddy agreed. Burton is debilitated by ALS, Lou Gehrig's Disease. While Buddy is to cover his back, not an assignment he wants, the clincher is it's his last chance to connect with his proud, overbearing parent.

What Buddy didn't expect was to encounter crime in Freedom, a privileged coastal community a hundred miles north of Los Angeles, as vicious and challenging as that of the city.

One spring morning, the latest challenge erupts. The brutal murder of a prominent Freedom High School sports coach leads Buddy into a clandestine universe of sexual deception, play parties, unwitting athletes, over-privileged youths, treacherous bullies, and shocking malfeasance.

At the same time, a sudden scourge of graffiti is disfiguring both public and private property, despoiling the beauty and serenity of Freedom's unassuming landscape. Outraged, knowing he has few legal weapons to wield, Buddy is forced to find new and challenging ways to thwart the street artist, or artists, responsible. Irreverent and imaginative, not to say manipulative, Buddy is just the man for the job.

Buddy's plate is soon full and the stakes are enormous as he sets about bringing resolution to a glut of seemingly irresolute occurrences.

One on One follows Missing Persons, Buddy's first investigation in Freedom.

Buddy Steel Thrillers - The book series

Buddy Steel Thrillers - The book series

Buddy Steel Thrillers books in order

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